User:Wentege/sandbox
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Clothing Accessories |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Headquarters | , Germany |
Key people | Peter Plotnicki (Owner, CEO and Menswear Designer) Gitta Plotnicki (Creative Director and Womenswear Designer) |
| Products | Fashion Accessories |
| Owner | Peter Plotnicki |
| Website | www |
Merz b. Schwanen is a German clothing company known to produce on original loop-wheelers with organic materials in Germany.
History[edit]
From 1911 to 2008[edit]
Originally, Merz b. Schwanen was founded by Balthasar Merz as "Balthasar Merz beim Schwanen" on the Swabian Alps in 1911 and remained a family owned business until 2008.[1]
Globalization processes dominated the following decades of the 20th century, which caused a decline of the german textile industry because of both, foreign companies and domestic companies, that outsourced parts of their value chain to low-wage countries. Eventually Balthasar Merz beim Schwanen could not keep up with those companies and was forced to close its gates in 2008 due to a lack of orders.[2]
2011 - present[edit]
After finding an original Balthasar Merz beim Schwanen Henley shirt at a flea market in Berlin, menswear designer Peter Plotnicki and his wife Gitta teamed up with one of the last remaining textile factories in Albstadt, a small town on the Swabian Jura. After reevaluating the traditional way of production by using the same old sewing machines[3] and receiving the rights to utilize the name "Merz b. Schwanen" from descendants of Balthasar Merz, the brand made was relaunched in 2011.[4] The first Menswear collection was shown at the Bread and Butter tradeshow in January 2011 in Berlin.[5] All products are designed by Peter and Gitta Plotnicki in Berlin, where the company´s headquarter is based. The production is still located in Albstadt.[6] Since its release, Merz b. Schwanen is sold in 13 international countries.[3]
The brand has been collaborating with brands and designers like Nigel Cabourn,[7] Junya Watanabe,[8] Rowing Blazers[9] and Monocle[10]
Production[edit]
All Merz b. Schwanen products are entirely made in Germany. The production plant is based in Baden-Württemberg located in the Swabian Jura.[1]
The Merz b. Schwanen production process is known for the use of original loopwheelers -- knitting machines which machines that were used during the early 1900s.[11] Merz b. Schwanen is one of the last remaining manufacturers to produce on original loopwheelers.[12]
The 32 Loopwheelers used by Merz b. Schwanen function differently from the modern knitting machines commonly operated today for shirts and sweatshirt production.[2] The yarn is Warp knitted (in German the verb is „wirken“) with an irregular weaving pattern[13]
The downside: producing on loop-wheelers is a time-consuming process, which compromises the productivity. Completing merely twenty-four rotations per minute, it takes one hour to knit only one meter of loop-wheeled fabric [14]. As opposed to modern machines producing in average 600kg of fabric per day, a loopwheeler cannot produce more than 6kg a day.[15]
Products [edit]
The company produces T-shirts[5], Henley shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, undergarments[13] and socks[16] for men and women with styles referencing vintage workwear and sportswear to contemporary garments.[17] The shirts have been praised by fashion insiders such as Nick Carvell from British GQ as one of the most comfortable, as well as best-looking shirts, one will own. [13]
Most garments are made of organic cotton from Greece or Germany[2] without chemical finishings, with different thicknesses or cotton blends with Viscose[17] or Merino wool.
Another characteristic of Merz b. Schwanen garments is the woven label which is manufactured with a hand-made punch cards on historical looms from the 19th century.
References[edit]
- ^ a b "At Work: Merz B. Schwanen". PORT Magazine. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- ^ a b c "Merz b. Schwanen: Alte Maschinen, moderne Vermarktung". Wirtschaftswoche. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ a b "Opas Hemd wird Kult - Arbeiterwäsche aus der Schwäbischen Alb". SWR.de (in German). Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "The Heritage Post No 4 - Rugged Guy: Peter". The Heritage Post. January 2017.
- ^ a b Williams, Gisela (2011-07-13). "Berlin Celebrates Bread & Butter Trade Show". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Uropas Unterhemd begeistert Retro-Fans". Die Welt. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- ^ "Merz b. Schwanen for Nigel Cabourn Grandad Tee". Acquire. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Junya Watanabe Teams up With Merz B. Schwanen on Patchwork Jersey Capsule Collection". Highsnobiety. 2017-04-05. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Rowing Blazers Taps Sports D'Epoque & Merz B. Schwanen for Capsule". Highsnobiety. 10 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- ^ "10 Years of Monocle, 10 Limited Edition Products". Ape to Gentleman. 2017-03-17. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "An Introduction To Loopwheeled Sweatshirts". Heddels. 2014-03-13. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
- ^ "The Rarest Sweatshirts in the World". A Continuous Lean. 2015-01-19. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
- ^ a b c Carvell, Nick. "Merz B Schwanen's downtime shirts: minimal seams, maximum style". British GQ. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "The Rarest Sweatshirts in the World". A Continuous Lean. 2015-01-19. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
- ^ Germany, SPIEGEL ONLINE, Hamburg. "Textilmanufaktur Merz b. Schwanen: Hemden aus dem Heimatmuseum". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Tudela, Alex (2017-03-16). "Men's Fashion: Don't Be Afraid of Bright Feet". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ a b Alone, No Man Walks. "No Man Walks Alone". No Man Walks Alone. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
Category:Clothing brands of Germany Category:Underwear brands Category:Companies based in Baden-Württemberg Category:German brands Category:Clothing companies of Germany